Kids’ Reading Nook (IKEA Tarva Nightstand Makeover)

Some of my happiest moments as a mama have been reading with my children, and now that my kids are a bit older, it makes my heart soar to see them sitting down with a book to read on their own! I decided to turn a little unused corner in our living room into a reading nook for my kids, complete with a comfy beanbag chair and a handy shelf created from an IKEA Tarva nightstand. I absolutely love how this cozy spot turned out, and today, I’m going to show you how it all came together with the help of my all-time favorite paint: FolkArt Home Decor Chalk®!

This post is sponsored by Plaid. All opinions are entirely my own.

This Tarva nightstand from IKEA is the perfect carte blanche for treating to a custom paint treatment! The unfinished surface of the wood is ideal for painting, and the FolkArt Home Decor Chalk covered it like a dream and allowed me to turn this…

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…into this!

I love the retro, cheery vibe of this little nook, and it is the perfect place for my kiddos to nestle in to enjoy a good book!

Home Decor Chalk is a no-prep acrylic paint and wax that dries in minutes that can be left as-in for a polished look, or layered and sanded if a distressed look is more up your alley. The ultra-matte chalk finish can be easily applied to furniture, cabinets, walls, decorative glass, metal and more, and there is no sanding or priming needed. Woot! This is seriously my absolutely favorite paint of all time, y’all.

For my Tarva nightstand hack, I decided to use one of the eight new Home Decor Chalk Colors, Sunset Rose, to paint the surface of the nightstand. I painted the drawer front and legs of the piece with the Home Decor Chalk in Cottage White for a nice, crisp contrast. The handy FolkArt Home Decor Roller is a great tool to use in furniture projects like this!

Instead of assembling my Tarva nightstand all at once, I assembled it up through step 16 (attaching the legs), so that I could paint the legs and drawer front easily and allow them each to dry separately. This also enabled me to accent the drawer front with a little diamond design that I created by taping off the center section of the piece and then applying a layer of the Home Decor Chalk in Rich Black. I then painted the wooden drawer pull that came with the piece using the FolkArt Brushed Metal in Brushed Gold. When all of the different pieces were completely dry, I finished assembling the nightstand.

In addition to creating the shelf for my kids’ reading nook, I also wanted to add a decorative sign to the space to go with the reading theme. The Home Decor Chalk was perfect for this, too! Using a 12×12″ square wood panel, I painted the back side of the piece with the Cottage White paint and allowed it to dry completely before taping off the raised edge of the piece. I applied the Rich Black paint to this raised edge to form a frame.

The Home Decor Chalk is ideal for stenciling projects, so I used the same black paint and some great stencils (this set and this one) from FolkArt to create wording with a perfect storybook message: Once Upon a Time!

I love that a project that came together in a span of 24 hours has turned an under-utilized part of our living room into a space that my kids can truly enjoy for a great purpose: reading!

This little reading nook is such a happy place!

In addition to the original Home Decor Chalk, FolkArt now also makes Home Decor Texture Chalk in twelve great colors that help you easily achieve a weathered, vintage feel. This paint adds dimension to any project surface that can be layered, distressed, glazed, and waxed to create a time-worn look. The water-based, non-toxic paint requires minimal surface prep and dries to an ultra-matte, chalk-like finish. I had the opportunity to work with the paint during my trip to Plaid headquarters this spring, and it is incredible!

I created this reading nook as part of a fun challenge with the Plaid Creators team. Be sure to stop by each of my friends’ blogs below to check out how they transformed the same nightstand!

Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you’ll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.

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